![]() Now, by assessing observations from the scientific literature dating back to 1970, the multi-disciplinary team has been able to estimate the sizes of these non-consumptive effects. This second category of effects is not routinely included in disease dynamics models, as the effects can be complex. Predators like these can have 'consumptive' effects on their prey-where the prey are successfully eaten, reducing survival-or 'non-consumptive' effects-where the feeding fails, or the prey pick up cues from the predator without feeding being attempted. Mosquitoes of different species are eaten by a wide range of predators, such as fish, insect larvae, spiders, and amphibians. Catherine Herzog, from the Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics at Pennsylvania State University, said: "Our findings on how predators affect mosquito traits and behaviors may allow modelers to predict disease outbreaks more accurately, which could lead to greater public health preparedness." There are so many papers on specific predation interactions, and the large number of studies that have already been published is what allowed us to synthesize such a comprehensive meta-analysis."Ĭo-first author Dr. Marie Russell, from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial, said: "People have been wondering for more than a century what eats mosquitoes, and what this could mean for the diseases that they carry. The study shows how the presence of different predators can cause significant changes for mosquitoes' bodies and behaviors, which alter the likelihood of them passing on diseases to humans, including malaria, West Nile virus and dengue.įor example, exposure to predators can cause a reduction in the average mosquito body size, leading to shorter lifespans and fewer offspring per mosquito, ultimately reducing the spread of disease.Ĭo-first author Dr. ![]() The research is led by Imperial College London and Pennsylvania State University scientists and published today in eLife. They say the information can improve predictions of when and where there might be high numbers of human infections of mosquito-borne diseases. ![]()
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